Take a look, a really
close look. At first glance it may be hard to recognize, but the kitchen on the
left is the same as the one on the right. The cabinet “boxes,” the countertop,
the layout, the flooring, the sink and the window haven’t changed a whit.
Better yet, once the materials were in hand, this transformation took place in
just a few days—without putting the kitchen out of commission. The frosting on
the cake? The total cost for upgrading the cabinets was $2,100 (not including
the wall tile). With the average full-scale kitchen remodeling project costing
more than $30,000 (and about one-third of that amount spent on cabinetry), you
can see we got a big impact for a small cost.
Click Image to enlarge.
Whether
you tackle one or all of these cabinet upgrades, you’ll increase the visual
appeal of your kitchen quickly, inexpensively and with minimum
hassle.
Click Image to enlarge.
If you’re pleased with the
basic layout and function of your kitchen but want to update the look—and add a
few new features—read on. We’ll show you how paint, new cabinet doors and
drawer fronts, moldings and a few accessories can transform your
kitchen.
Most of the projects
require only a drill, basic hand tools and intermediate DIY savvy, although a
power miter saw and pneumatic finish nailer allow you to cut and install the
crown molding faster.
Bear in mind, these
upgrades won’t fix cabinets that are falling apart, create more storage space
or make your kitchen easier to navigate. But if you want to give your kitchen
an inexpensive yet dramatic facelift, here’s how.
What we did
Click Image to enlarge.
Raise an upper cabinet
To break up the monotony
of a row of cabinets, change the height of one or more upper cabinets. This
provides more “headroom” for working and more space for lighting and
appliances, as well as creates a more interesting and varied
look.
In order to raise a
cabinet, your cabinets must be the modular kind such that each cabinet is an
independent “box” screwed to adjacent ones. Earlier “builder cabinets,” with
the entire row of cabinets built and installed as one unit, aren’t easily
separated. We elevated our corner cabinet 3 in., temporarily propped it up with
scrap lumber, drilled pilot holes for new screws, then reattached it. A cabinet
that’s been in place a long time may need a sharp rap with a hammer to free it
from paint and grime that have “glued” it in place.
Click Image to enlarge.
To raise a
cabinet, remove the shelves and doors and then the screws securing it to the
wall and cabinets on either side. Raise the cabinet, temporarily prop it in
place, drill new pilot holes, then reinstall the screws.
Paint your cabinet face frames
Proper preparation and
sanding between coats are the keys to a smooth, durable paint job on your
cabinet face frames.
Oil paints arguably create the smoothest
surface, since they dry slowly and “self-level” as brush stroke marks fill in.
However, this slow drying time means they’re more vulnerable to dust. Cleanup
is also more of a hassle. Latex paints dry quickly and may show brush strokes
more, but additives like Floetrol (The Flood Co., 800-321-3444) improve
“brushability.” After priming, paint the cabinets with a gloss or semigloss
paint. Apply a thin first coat, let it dry, then lightly sand with 120- or
180-grit sandpaper. Wipe the surface, then apply a second coat. Two or three
thin coats are better than one or two thick ones.
If you have a gas stove,
turn off the gas for safety while using mineral spirits, shellac or oil paints,
and provide plenty of ventilation.
Clean the
cabinet face frames with mineral spirits, then scrub them with household
ammonia and rinse. Fill holes with spackling compound, then sand with 120-grit
sandpaper. Vacuum the cabinets, then prime them with a pigmented shellac.
Lightly sand the dried primer.
Add new doors and drawer fronts
We had a local cabinet
shop make our new doors and drawer fronts the exact same dimensions as the old
ones.We used the same hinges and mounting holes in the face frames to ensure
the right fit.You can have your components made locally or by one of the
companies listed in the Buyer’s Guide, p. 80.
Existing drawer fronts
can be attached in a number of different ways. We were able to simply pry off
the old and screw on the new. If yours can’t be removed, you’ll need to use a
circular saw to cut all four edges of the drawer front even with the edges of
the drawer box, then apply the new drawer front directly over the old. This
will make your drawers 3/4 in. longer; make certain your drawer hardware and
cabinets can accommodate the extra length. If not, you may need to install new
drawer hardware or new drawer “boxes.”
Mount the
hinges to the doors, then mount the doors to the face frames using the existing
screw holes. Most hinges allow for some up-and-down movement and tilt so the
doors can be adjusted evenly.
Replace
the old drawer fronts. We pried off the old front using a chisel and a flat
bar, marked the position of the drawer box on the back of the new drawer front,
then joined the two using carpenter’s glue and screws.
Add an open shelf, wine glass rack and plate
rack
If you have a short
cabinet flanked by two taller cabinets, you can add this combination shelf/wine
rack.
We cut the shelf to
length, then added mounting strips on each end. We cut four 9-in. sections of
wine glass molding from a 3-ft. length (see Buyer’s Guide), then glued and
nailed them to the bottom of the pine shelf. We also cut curved brackets from
each end of a 1x6 maple board and cut the center 1 in. wide to serve as shelf
edging. Finally, we installed the unit by driving screws through the mounting
strips and into the cabinets on each side.
To display your plates
and keep them accessible and chip-free, build and install this plate rack. The
total cost of materials? Under $10.
To create the two plate
rack “ladders,” measure the cabinet, then build each ladder so the finished
height equals the height of the inside of the cabinet. The finished width
should be equal to the width of the face frame opening. Drill 3/8-in. holes,
3/8 in. deep in 3/4-in. x 3/4-in. square dowels and space them every 1-1/2 in.
Cut the dowels to length, add a drop of glue in each hole, insert the dowels,
then use elastic cords or clamps to hold things together until the glue
dries.
A drill press comes in
handy, but you can get excellent results using the same tools we did: a
cordless drill, a steady hand and a 3/8-in. drill bit with masking tape wrapped
around it as a depth guide for the holes in the rails.
Click Image to enlarge.
Build a
shelf to fit snugly between the cabinets on each side. We used a jigsaw to
create curved brackets, nailed wine glass brackets to the bottom of the shelf,
then installed the entire unit as one piece.
Click Image to enlarge.
Cut,
assemble and install the two plate rack “ladders.” Use short screws to secure
the ladders in the cabinet opening. We set the rear ladder 4 in. away from the
back of the cabinet and the front ladder snug against the back of the face
frame.
Install crown molding
Crown molding comes in
many profiles and sizes; we installed rope molding (see Buyer’s Guide, p. 80).
If your face frames aren’t wide enough on top to nail the molding to, nail
strips of wood to the top edge to provide a nailing surface.
Raising the corner
cabinet created a challenge where the moldings on each side butted into it. We
held the upper part of the crown molding back a few inches, but extended the
thin rope molding portion so it butted into the corner
cabinet.
For more detailed
information on cutting and installing crown molding, see “Window Cornices,”
July/Aug. ’01, p. 48. To order a copy, see p. 5.
Cut the
crown molding by placing it upside down and securing it at the correct angle
with a clamp and wood scrap.
Click Image to enlarge.
Position
and mark each piece of crown molding as you work your way around the kitchen.
Make small notches in the top corners of the face frames so the moldings lie
flat against the sides of the cabinets when installed.
Install open basket units
The “Base 18” baskets we
installed (see Buyer’s Guide, p. 80) came with two side tracks that could be
cut narrower to accommodate cabinets ranging in width from 15-7/8 in. to 17-7/8
in. “Base 15” baskets fit cabinets with an inside width of 12-7/8 in. to 15-7/8
in. Measure carefully, cut the basket tracks to width, then install them as
shown.
Click Image to enlarge.
Remove
cabinet hardware, then the rails where you want to create an open cabinet. A
fine-tooth pull saw works well for removing the dividers, since it lies flat
against the cabinet frame as it cuts. Sand the area to create a smooth
surface.
Cut the
tracks to the proper width, then level them in both directions and screw them
to the sides of the cabinet.
Buyer’s Guide
All the
products used in this project are readily available through catalogs, the
Internet and specialty woodworking stores. Here are a few
sources:
Cabinet doors and drawer fronts
A local
cabinetmaker made our 13 maple doors and six drawer fronts for $1,500. Expect
to pay about $20 per square foot for custom doors, slightly less for the drawer
fronts. You could also have a company specializing in cabinet refacing measure
and order the doors for you.
There
are a variety of mail order sources you can explore:
-
Custom
Kitchen Cabinet and Refacing Co.: (888) 407-3322,
www.reface.com
-
Jackson
Custom Woodworks: (866) 261-7643. www.jacksoncustom.com
-
Kitchen
Door Depot: (877) 399-5677, www.kitchendoordepot.com
-
Kitchen
Doors Online: (877) 887-0400, www.kitchendoorsonline.net
-
Rockler
Custom Door and Drawer Front Program: (800) 279-4441,
www.rockler.com
Crown molding, bun feet, baskets, wine glass
molding
We
ordered our maple rope crown molding (No. 53639, $77.99 per 8-ft. length),
wicker baskets (No. 47527, $84.99 each), wine glass molding (No. 22210, $10.99
per 36-in. piece) and bun feet (No. 70410, $10.59 each) from Rockler
(800-279-4441, www.rockler.com).
Outwater (800-835-4400,
www.outwater.com) and Woodworker’s Supply (800-645-9292, www.woodworker.com)
sell similar items.
Miscellaneous
The
porcelain pulls, dowels for the plate rack, primer and paint were bought at a
home center.
We
ordered the wall tile (Newport, Sage Green by Walker Zanger Ceramics,
877-611-0199, www.walkerzanger.com) from a local tile shop.
Art Direction • MARCIA WRIGHT
ROEPKE
Photography • SHAWN
NIELSEN
Stylist • RENEE McDANIELS
